An Unexpected Turn of Events
by Icee The Hedgehog
Summary: What if the Great Sage failed to save the main Mii from the Dark Curse? How would our heroes go on? What changes to the adventure will unfold? Follow our heroes in their quest to defeat the Darker Lord and save Miitopia once and for all! Rated T for violence and etc. Slight AU.
1. Prologue

_Hello, everyone and welcome to another fic written by yours truly, Icee the Hedgehog. Hopefully, this fic is one I won't end up forgetting about, as I've had this little idea in my mind ever since I first played Miitopia back in sure how many will truly read this as this isn't a popular archive, but hey, might as well try!_

 _This is AU, slightly, so some things that may have been supposed to happen in the game might not have (IE: I'm not making Dominic the Dragon appear in this, as I don't include him in my canons...etc). Most of this will be described but it you are unclear, just review and I'll try and clarify._

 _Anyway, enough blabbing from me. Enjoy!_

 _**Please be aware that this is a PROLOUGE and will be short, actual chapters will be longer**_

* * *

 **Prolouge**

"Don't let it be too late...please don't let it be too late...!"

Those were the words I screamed as I rushed through the empty corridors of the castle, lightning flashing through the windows, being the only light aside from the light of my own staff and the flames in the windows. They must've already gotten through all of the monsters in here, as I haven't had to fight any at all since I've entered. I should be happy about that, but I find myself only with a feeling of dread.

I originally wasn't planning to show myself again to them. Quick Man had already helped six of his ten friends with my help, and that was more than enough firepower, I felt. I didn't need to hover over him anymore. They had the capabilities to defeat Dark Lord Senka and save Miitopia.

It wasn't that I didn't want to help them, even though Quick Man seemed rather upset when I left him and his friends to do the rest on their own. I suppose you could blame it on a sort of fear I had. I didn't want to face up to Senka again. I only managed to do so once, because if I hadn't, Quick Man would have fallen much before this point. Then, who would save Miitopia? Even I doubt I would have the capability... No. I wouldn't have. I just can't stand to face her again...

Beleive it or not, Senka was a close friend of mine, back before all of this happened. She wasn't always this evil Dark Lord. In fact, she was amongst one of my close friends prior to all this. She dreamed of starting her own HP Banana factory, though she never had the money to buy a place of business. The best she could do was be employed at a factory. She was delighted with her work when I met her. I'd often stop by, in private of course, and we would chat until her shift was over.

That was, until she found that room. The room I'd totally forgotten about from years past. I'd thought that the room was locked tight, but it was anything but. And Senka wandered into it.

I'd come by her work, planning to help her finish her shift and have dinner afterwards, only to not find her in her usual working spot. As soon as I heard the screams from the basement, I knew what had happened.

By the time I'd arrived down there, Senka was standing by a treasure chest, the light blue wisp known as the Dark Curse hovering around her. I'd sealed it away long ago, back when it first came to be. I didn't expect anyone to find the box it was sealed in, especially not her. I could only watch as the wisp took over Senka's body, transforming her into the Dark Lord.

I tried as I may to defeat the Dark Lord right then and there, but it avoided me, fleeing off to Greenhorne. Even I was not quick enough to stop the destruction it'd cause...

As I remembered these things, standing outside the Dark Lord's Castle, I began to fear that Quick Man might end up like Senka. The Curse would move to him, wouldn't it? He was the most powerful and the fact that he can speak to the Gaurdian Spirit (and my father), StarArc, only makes it all the more likely. Hopefully I didn't think of it too late...or...

When I arrive in the Dark Lord's throne room, I find that their battle has ended. Quick Man and his main team, a Cat named KittyMetal, a Cleric named Junko, and a Mage named Zero are all celebrating, unaware of my presence. I look up. The Dark Curse is nowhere to be found. Did it leave? If it did, it's best we find it right away...

I notice Senka awaken from unconsciousness, confused as she looks around. She doesn't even recognize me, and I don't press the issue. I am glad she was released nonetheless.

"Huh...?" Senka blinks, still in her HP Banana Factory uniform. "I...I feel so wierd..."

She walks right on by me. I let her though, knowing she needs some time to recover. I'll go and check on her later. I walk over to the celebrating friends, watching Senka fully leave.

"...Huh." I pretend I am intrigued, just to avoid them worrying a moment before looking at them. "Did you just beat the Dark Lord?"

An excited nod from Quick Man.

"I can't say I'm too surprised." I continue. That is true. I didn't expect any complications with defeating the Dark Lord. It's the Curse that I'm worried about. "I knew you had it in you!"

Quick Man giggles sheepishly. I don't know why he's always so embarrassed when I praise him, but I never bother to ask.

At that moment I hear a noise. Looking up, I gasp as I see the Dark Curse floating above us. It bounces a bit, purple aura flaring as it prepares to launch itself at Quick Man.

"Ahh!" the Theif yells, swinging his hands about, as if his hands will deflect the Curse. Not even thinking about it, I rush towards him.

"Look out!" I yell.

...However, my yell is entirely futile. The Curse launches itself at Quick Man, and even my effort to jump in front of it does nothing. The wisp hits its target. I hear Quick Man yell in pain, followed by a loud scream from all of us:

"QUICK MAN!"

His Amulet soars from his hand at the last second, hitting my face before all goes white...

* * *

When I can finally see again, I see KittyMetal, Junko, and Zero staring up with wide eyes at something. I follow their gazes, nearly yelping myself.

Quick Man is no longer here. Or...I guess he is, if you really want to call it thar. In front of us floats a being much resembling the Dark Lord is floating, except it has copied bits of Quick/s attire, only tinting it blue and making it more ghost-like. His hair is pretty much the same, aside from being blue purple, and he has the signature purple-blue hands with purple claws that all beings possessed by the Dark Curse have. His sword now has an eye design on its hilt, and he's waring the same necklace the Dark Lord had.

"I definately didn't expect this!" he declares, looking at his new form. "To be able to take the Chosen Hero on my first try? I thought for sure that someone was going to intervene!"

"Mar-Mar," I state, using the Dark Curse's true name, the name of the Mii he once was so long ago. "Leave him alone! It doesn't have to be like this - you don't have to keep possessing people!"

"Mar-Mar? There's no such person here!" the being declares, swinging his sword at me. Luckily, I am able to avoid it. "I am now more than a Dark Lord...I'm...an even Darker Lord!"

Everyone else is too consumed by fear to make any moves. I, however am not. It's bad enough that he's posessed Senka. And now he's taken Quick Man too? This has gone too far. I am not going to allow any more of this! I launch a beam of light at him, but he blocks it, much to my shock.

"Do you think you're going to win with the same stupid tactic?!" he yells, before slashing at me with his sword. I'm not able to put up a barrier in time and thus am hit, slamming to the ground. "I'll spare you all for now - I've got to make some other preparations before my true reign of terror begins! Farewell!"

And in the same purple aura, the now Darker Lord, as I will call him, is gone just as quickly as he appeared. But luckily, he wasn;t able to get the Amulet. He must not have noticed , or cared, to grab it.

 _Well now, you all have found yourself in quite the mess, haven't you?_

I blink, ignoring the wound on my arm, hearing StarArc, the Gaurdian Spirit.

 _So the Dark Lord's true form is that wisp, huh? It's possessed Senka's original body...and it's now moved on to Quick Man?_

"Give Quick Man back, nya!" the cat, KittyMetal shouts, jumping up and down, asif doing that will magically make the Darker Lord reappar.

 _Now you all face an even greater threat. I never expected Quick Man to end up falling, but nonetheless, your mission must continue. Afterall, there are still many innocent Miis still counting on you all! So, you must press forward!_

"But without Quick Man...who will lead us?" Junko asks.

"And how are we going to break this to everyone back at the inn? They're going to be so devistated! How are we possibly going to move on?!" Zero asks as well.

On the friends go, mumbling things to themselves. But StarArc doesn't even answer their questions. I know StarArc well enough. Some things are on us to figure out.. But, it's at that moment I find myself saying something I am not sure what provoked me to say:

"I'll lead in Quick's absence." I tell them, making them all blink and look at me. "It's...it's what he would have wanted to happen, afterall. Since I couldn't protect him, the least I can do is lead his friends in his absence."

"Great Sage Koko? Leading us?" Junko asked.

"All right, nya!" KittyMetal giggles, jumping up again. "We might have a chance afterall!"

 _However...it is more than just the body that you will need to be concerned about. Quick Man has unlocked his divine magic, and there's no doubt that the Darker Lord will use it against you. I will happily guide you all along your journey though, so don't be afraid! You guys can do this!_

With those last words from StarArc, Zero takes it upon himself to lead us to the Inn that the other friends are staying...


	2. Ch 1: The Night's Chaos

**Chapter One: The Night's Chaos**

The Karkaton Inn is rather loud and noisy. I've never been one to stay in inns for too long, as most of them, including this one are much too rowdy for me to be in for too long. I'm not very sociable and prefer to sit in my room and not listen to over 10 Miis scream across a kitchen about how it's taking too long for dinner or something of the like that's unrelated to the mission at hand. I suppose it's not any Mii's fault, as they really don't know any better and want themselves to be heard, but yet, I'd just prefer to avoid the inns. The week and a half I spent staying in inns with Quick Man was so bad that I just had to leave after we got done with that Cerebus because I wasn't about to spend another night hearing some Mii in the room across from mine sing another out of tune song all night long.

After checking in and such, luckily we find all of the other friends in the Grub Hall. Chef Pancake is busily preparing a meal (which he'd better take off the stove soon, I can smell the stuff burning to ashes).

"Oh! What a surprise this is, Great Sage Koko is back!" Pancake cheers, being the first to see me, along with Zero, walk through the door. KittyMetal follows us in, scampering over to the Grub area and sitting with the Pop Star, Amy, as Junko just stands in the entryway.

"What?! He decided to return? Was it to celebrate our victory?!" Amy asks as she gets up.

"Why the heck else would be there, Amy?! I mean seriously, there's no way that the Dark Lord possibly escaped!" a Tank, Nitro declares. "So where's Quick Man? A nervous wreck because he knows he's going to be hammered with victory shouts?"

"Hey, Quick Man!" the Imp, Cookie, shouts into the restrooms across the hall. "We know you're in there! Come out and tell us about your battle! We wanna know! And why didn't you let us go?! We got no part of the fun!"

"Quick Man's not here." I decide to break the news, since KittyMeral, Junko and Zero don't seem to have the confidence to do so. "And he might never be with us again if we don't get to work..."

My statement causes the once excited Miis to go silent. Cookie sits back down at his seat, as Nitro simply stands there, his mouth open. Pancake even drops his entire pan of Sharp Stew that he was making for dinner on the floor, causing the soup to splatter all over. Said silence stands for a whole two seconds before the door opens revealing another cleric, Zoey.

"Hey, I found some Bomble Gum for anyone who wants some! Hurry and get it before someone steals it!"

But no one seems to even care about the Bomble Gum, which under normal circumstances, everyone would be on top of. I should know, as one time when Cookie found a bunch of it, everyone swarmed him hoping to get a piece.

"...Hello?" Zoey asks after a few moments.

"We obviously don't care about the Bomble Gum!" Nitro snaps. "Quick Man is gone!"

"Hey! I care about the Bomble Gum, nya!" KittyMetal protests. "But no one was getting up so I didn't think I should, nya..."

"The last thing I want is my mouth literally blowing up!" Cookie argues. "Forget that stuff!"

"But it's delicious, Cookie!" KittyMetal argues. "How can you not enjoy it? The explosion just adds to the experience!"

"Yeah, sure...and the burn marks? Are those part of the experience too?" Cookie argues.

"Quick Man's gone...What...? What happened?!" Zoey yelps as KittyMetal and Cookie proceed to debate about the Bomble Gum.

"If you guys will let me finish instead of debate about Bomble Gum," I start, which luckily silences the debate at once. "We found something important about the Dark Lord...or...maybe it's something I chose to ignore. I mean...I knew it for awhile... But anyway. The Dark Lord is, in fact a wisp known as the Dark Curse. It took over a Mii named Senka's body, and when Quick Man, Junko, Zero and KittyMetal defeated the Dark Lord, it was released. I tried to stop it, but it found its way to Quick Man and instead took over his body. Now we face an even bigger threat, known as the Darker Lord. And unless you want even more destruction than before, we need to figure out how we are going to find him.

By the time I finish speaking, I notice that KittyMetal and Zoey have fallen asleep. Zero is staring at me with wide eyes. Pancake has totally left the room. Junko is cleaning up the stew that Pancake dropped, and Amy is looking straight at me.

"I...I have no idea on what you just said!" the Pop Star declares. "But if Quick Man needs saving, let's hop to it! We'll go out tomorrow then!"

"Yeah - we have to save Quick Man after everything he's done for us, after all." Zero nods.

"I'm in on it too!" Junko nods as she looks up from cleaning the stew.

"And I'm sure everyone else is in too. We can't just ignore this." Nitro says, wandering back in from who knows where.

"Well that's all fine, but what are we going to do about our dinner?" Cookie asks, seeing the broken glass from the Sharp Stew. "Pancake decided to leave so we don't have anyone to cook for us now!"

"We can do the cooking without Pancake!" Amy says. "We don't need a professional chef, we can easily make a home cooked meal ourselves!"

Without skipping a beat, Amy pulls a chair out and stands on it, grabbing various ingredients from the spice cabinet. Junko, simply following along grabs some of the leftover (from how long ago I don't even know) Goblin ham from the mini fridge and proceeds to throw it on the counter. That's right - no paper towel, no plate, just throwing it on there...that's totally okay! Note to self: If this doesn't just end in the kitchen being burnt to the ground, I'm not going to bother eating.

Deciding that I don't want to watch as the kitchen gets blown up, nor do I feel like arguing with the Miis to get them to not attempt this folly, I fumble around with a book on the table. It's about the monsters found here. I probably know all there is to know about them, but looking through it will at least distract me from the fear that this kitchen will end up in flames at any moment.

 _FWOOSH!_

"Oh oh!" KittyMetal, who must've awakened at some point, shouts across the room, pointing at the bag of flour, which now sits on the floor, flour all over the stove and counter, a puff of white floating up in the air. 'Someone had better clean that all up! DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN!"

"Amy, you idiot!' Nitro yells, standing across from Amy, both Miis standing right in the middle of the mess, not caring that every time they move they are making footprints all over the carpet. "I warned you that that flour was right on the edge! But did you move it? NOPE! You just let it fall and now it's all over! If Pancake sees this he's going to tell the inn keeper and we're gonna be kicked out from here just like we were kicked out of that one hotel in Realm of the Fey!"

"I told you to watch it, I was trying to cut the ham!" Amy shouts, her pink cheeks puffing. "It's your fault the mess happened. And stop bringing up what happened at Realm of the Fey! That wasn't my fault!"

"That Realm of the Fey mess wasn't by you? Well I know I didn't just throw all those Iceberg Salads on the floor!" Nitro Man yells. "I don't even eat that stuff!"

"You ate it every day, we all did because that was what the chests gave us!" Amy shouts. "I bet you just were mad that we had another day of em so you decided to fwoosh, throw em all over! As if that's going to change our fortune!"

I rest my head on my hand, rolling my eyes at the ridiculous argument. Yet, I know it's not my spot to open my mouth, as it isn't my argument. However, I still find it stupid that these two Miis are bickering about some past event instead of...you know, CLEANING UP THIS MESS?

"Woah woah, come on, let's break it up!" Cookie says, stepping in between them,

"Oh don't you go trying to play mediator, you were just bickering with KittyMetal about some Bomble Gum! So go away!" Nitro booms.

"But that stuff is disgusting - and everyone argues with KittyMetal, so who cares?" Cookie retorts. "That's all beside the point! You two need to stop arguing and pick this mess up!"

"Hey! I'm right here, nya!" KittyMetal shouts from his seat. "Totally not nice!"

"And I'm not picking this mess up!" Nitro yells. "If anyone's picking it up, it's Amy!"

"You'll help me clean it, or no!" Amy yells.

"Not helping!"

"Then I'm not cleaning!"

At that moment, I begin to see smoke coming from the microwave... I look up, seeing that somebody set something in there to cook for 400 minutes...

"AMY! I KNOW THAT WAS YOU!" Nitro is furious now, pointing to the microwave, "Get up there and get that ham!"

"I can't even reach that high!" Amy argues. "You get that ham!"

Smoke continues to fill the room as the two bicker on. I notice that Zero, Junko and Zoey have long since left. KittyMetal is now staring like an amazed child at the smoke, and Cookie is just shaking his head. Pancake hasn't even come back, so I guess he's just given up on cooking a proper meal...

"Get that ham!

"No, you get the ham!"

"I said get the ham!"

"You get the ham!"

 _BEEP BEEP BEEP!_

 _FWOOOSH!_

At the sound of the smoke detectors, I see the spray of a fire extinguisher come from the doorway. Bits of the smoke clear to reveal the innkeeper, a Warrior himself, holding the fire extinguisher. I guess someone got the ham, as it now sits in a pile of ash on the floor, Amy and Nitro staring with wide eyes.

"What on earth is going on in my kitchen?!" the inn keeper booms. "If you aren't a Chef, then you have no business using my kitchen other than to eat in it! Why do I see spices and Goblin Ham all over the place but no Chef in here preparing the food!?"

"He walked out!" Nitro yells.

"Then I guess your dinner was just walked out on! No cooking unless you are a Chef, end of story!" booms the inn keeper. "Now all of you, clean my kitchen, and make it spotless! If any evidence of this mess is left behind, I'll get you up at 3AM and kick you out, as well as double your tab! If anything's damaged, that money gets added to your tab! This is absolutely ridiculous!"

"But..."

 _"THERE ARE NO BUTS EXCEPT FOR THE ONE ATTATCHED TO YOUR REAR!"_ interrupts the inn keeper, not caring what KittyMetal had to say. "By the way, my toilet is clogged by one of you Miis, so that's 100G added to the tab! Good day!"

The door slams, leaving all of us with the mess. I know that inn keeper well, and even I can't stand him. His name is Ryan. Ryan means well, he started the inn in order to help keep Miis safe from the monsters that lurk in Karkaton, as the Dark Lord keeps the area around his castle well patrolled. However, he has a terrible temper, and doesn't tolerate it when customers break his things. And no, it's not just because it's disruptive to the inn environment either - it's also disruptive to his pocketbook. As such, he's quick to add more to your tab, even for the smallest things. But this time, I think he has every right to have yelled. This was uncalled for, even by my standard.

Just then, Pancake rounds the corner. "Alright, I'm back to finish making your dinner!"

"Don't bother." I tell him. "Just get down here and help clean this mess. We're skipping dinner tonight..."

* * *

It takes hours, but we all pitch in (even though we didn't do it) to help clean the mess to Inn Keeper Ryan's standards. Since I know him, I'm sure to touch up on everything that the others might miss so that he doesn't actually kick us out. There's no more arguing from Amy and Nitro thankfully, but the two are now avoiding each other if they can. Hopefully their quarrel will silently evaporate overnight.

Once we are done, we split up and head to our beds for the night without any word spoken. I think everyone knows that things went overboard and that it's best that we all just go to bed and forget this.

I for one am exhausted. Even though I haven't done anything outside of the normal, I still feel like I've fought a million monsters. The uncalled for arguing is certainly to blame, but there's something else too. That's Quick Man. I remained quite silent through the arguing that I would have normally stopped much before it reached the level it did, because I was still thinking about what had happened...

In all honesty, I expected and planned to be the one taken by the Dark Curse. Quick Man was the one StarArc chose to save Miitopia from the Dark Lord. I was supposed to simply help him out. And I did my best to do that, saving his life, and giving him advice whenever we met. I even helped him find his friends until I felt he could handle the rest of the journey. I never once expected to be the one actually having to finish what he started. If anything, I expected to either be killed by the Dark Curse itself or be killed by Quick Man. But now...it seems that it might be the other way around.

I do not know the capability of Quick Man's magic. It is similar to mine, but still very different. I have no idea what the Dark Curse will use it to do, nor do I know if we're even capable of defeating it. Certainly, if arguments like those with Amy and Nitro keep happening, we won't even defeat a Moth Butterfly, let alone overcome the Darker Lord...

I arrive at my upstairs room and close the door (luckily, I won't have a roommate, which is good). Sleeping isn't easy with the thoughts in my head, but I know that I have to. I'd hate for us to fail if I can prevent it...

The last thing I hear before falling asleep is Nitro Man shouting that he's 'got to wizz' at the bathroom door across from my room. I guess the quarrel from before has yet to evaporate...


	3. Ch 2: To the Traveller's Hub!

**Chapter Two: To The Traveler's Hub!**

 _I can't beleive that you did it too!" a crying Mar-Mar shouts. His black hair and outfit is messy due to the bullying he barely managed to escape from. "I trusted you, Koko! You were my friend, and you...you just stood there and let it all happen, just like anyone else! If they're not bullying me themselves, then they're watching! It doesn't matter what I do or how hard I try to fit in...NO ONE WANTS ME!"_

 _"Mar-Mar...come on, now." I say gently, trying not to allow my own voice to crack. "You know that's not true. Those Miis just want to get on your nerves!"_

 _"It's not just those Miis, it's EVERY Mii!" Mar-Mar continues, balling his fists as the tears fall. I attempt to place a friendly hand on his shoulder, but he slaps me hard enough to leave a small red spot on my hand. "Every time I see someone, it's always the same! 'Eww! Look at that zit on his face!' or 'Oh no, he's posessed! Don't look into his eyes!' Or worse, they want to try and beat me up to see if I'll spew any dark magic! I thought you were diffferent...I thought you were a friend! But what do you do as I get beaten up?! Watch like some fool!"_

 _"You know I hate violence..." I say, not facing him, just staring at the red mark on my hand._

 _"FOR GOD'S SAKE, YOU'RE TRAINING IN MAGIC!" Mar-Mar shouts before I can say anything else. "YOU KNOW YOU COULD'VE USED IT TO STOP THEM! BUT YOU DIDN'T! BECAUSE YOU DON'T CARE! JUST LIKE THE OTHERS!"_

 _He sniffles, falling to the ground, his face in his hands. "...Why did I ever think you were any different? Why did I ever think that someone would actually include me...?"_

 _I don't say another word. It's entirely futile. I know he won't listen. He's too far gone to understand that despite being too scared of extra conflict and not stepping in when he was being hurt, I still care. I meant to be his friend, but all I've done is make him worse. Maybe I shouldn't have tried...maybe he was already a lost cause to begin with...?_

 _"I...I know what I'm going to do..." Mar-Mar said after a few minutes, standing up. "If I'm so ugly and such a demon...then...I'm getting rid of my face! Maybe then, people will like me!"_

 _"That's rediculous!" I yell out, upset by his childish idea. "That's not even possible! And even if it was, what are you going to do with no face?!"_

 _"Everyone will want to be my friend though - no zit, no evil looking eyes...there won't be anything on me that they've teased me about!" Mar-Mar replies. "I'm going home, and doing it! And nothing you do is going to change my mind!"_

 _Before I can even open my mouth, he runs off. Try as I may to catch him,he still stays well ahead of me. Soon he's out of sight, but I know exactl where he's going. He's going home. To do what, I don't know. Surely, he can't really...?_

 _But at the same time, I think he can..._

 _I never could catch him and he locked the door to the house before I could get there, so I know that there's absolutely nothing I can do now except let the envents unfold, looking through one of the windows._

 _The lights in the main living room are off. Mar-Mar must either not like much light or has forgotten to pay the bill. My thoughts say it was the latter, because unlike most Miis his age, he's on his own. He was orphaned early on, by what causes I was never told. All I know is that it had to do with some evil being of old, the Dark Emperor. Ages ago, it kidnapped the monarch of Greenhorne and his children, and a few chosen warriors were assigned to stop it. Beleive it or not, I was one of those warriors, but that's a story I won't get into for now. The point is, Mar-Mar has had to struggle to get the money to pay his bills and usually just goes without the lights on._

 _I watch as a white light suddenly shines over Mar-Mar. Said light forms into a ball containing Mar-Mar's very face._

 _"...No...!" I can't help but shout, though I know my word will fall upon deaf ears._

 _The orb shatters like a precious peice of glass that just hit a concerte floor, the fragments fading off into nothingness, leaving Mar-Mar's faceless body on the ground, not moving._

 _"Why...how did..." My thoughts are all over the place. I can't even speak properly. Somehow, some way, he casted away his own face...? How was the even possible? Why did he actually carry through on this?!_

 _I could have prevented it. If I was just a little more persistent. If I wasn't so sensitive to the idea of busting someone's window, maybe I could've stopped him..._

 _I find myself running away from the scene, never to see my friend Mar-Mar again. ...At least...not in the same way, anyway._

* * *

"Hello?! Are you getting up today, Koko?!" Nitro's voice booms above me at that moment, the overhead light being flicked on, which causes the ceiling fan to begin to run. "It's noon and that inn keeper won't let anyone, not even the Chef, cook! So we're going to have to find another inn! Thanks alot, AMY!"

"Okay, okay...I'm up, and we'll leave in ten minutes." I state, rubbing my eyes. I don't know why I slept in this much. We went to bed fairly early and it's not like me to be sleeping much past 8am. But, no matter, I guess.

"I'm timing it!" Nitro yells as he leaves my room. "Get ypur crap and let's _go!"_

Much to my disappointment, the argument didn't just quell up overnight. If anything, it's gotten worse since the whole incident caused us to lose our cooking privilages. Luckily, we were planning to get mocing today anyway, so I suppose it can't matter too much. I was just hoping that Nitro and Amy would have forgotten their quarrel. Sadly, knowing the very nature of all Miis, we don't just let something go. It usually takes a few days, even a week for a quarrel to settle down.

"Nine minutes!" Nitro's voice booms so loud that I can hear it from the next floor down. "You don't get up, you get to be the Human Canonball for today! I don't care if you're the Almighty Sage or not!

 _'AEY!"_ Ryan's voice shouts. _"SHOUT ACROSS MY INN LIKE AN APE AGAIN AND YOU'LL GET THE BOOT NOW INSTEAD OF AT TWO! AND I'LL DOUBLE YOUR TAB! i'VE ABOUT HAD IT WITH YOU ROWDY LOT! AND YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DEFEAT THAT DARKER LORD?! IF YOU ACT LIKE THAT, I DOUBT YOU'LL EVEN FIND HIM!"_

Sighing, I get upand out of bed, starting to clean myself up for the day and such, tuning out the rest of the yelling from the others downstairs. I put Quick Man's Amulet on my neck before grabbing my staff and hurrying to the elevator, only to see a sign up:

 _ **Elevator was broken by one of you Miis. +1000G to the tab.**_

I'm not paying that tab,..

* * *

When I finally get to the main lobby, I notice that everyone else is already packed up. Ryan immediately blocks the door before anyone can leave though.

"Who's paying the tab?!" he asks, holding the tab. "Nightly stay is 100G, plus 100G for the toilet x3 clogs, so that's 300G, plus elevator which is 1000G and kitchen expenses is another 500G, so your expenses are...1900G!"

He throws the bill on the coffee table. "Pay up! No one leaves til I get my money, and if you stay past two, that's +100G for a new night's stay!"

Everyone, including myself, stares at the bill, 1900G written in red ink and circled to confirm it as our total. Everyone must think that if we stare hard enough, 1900G will just fly out onto the table.

"Just...how did you guys bust the elevator?!" I find myself asking of all other things.

"Amy wouldn't stop with her music, so I shot a hole in the elevator. We crashed!" Nitro said.

'And we all lived to talk about it, nya! Woo!" KittyMetal just had to chime in.

"That...that was..." I am fumbling for the right words. It would be out of character to say what I'm thinking, which is the fact that that was absolutely ignorant, because now we have to find some way to pull 1900G out of our rear ends, because I for one don't have that amount of gold on me, and probably never did.

"Tick tock, it's 1:50!" Ryan goes on. "If you're still here and I don't have my money in 10 minutes, consider that tab 2000G!"

"Quick Man was in charge of the piggy bank, I don't even know where it is!" Cookie begins to anic.

"Well I know I don't have it!" Nitro yells. 'Someone had better find it, and pronto!"

"You're his roomate, Zoey, go find it!" Cookie yelps.

"I don't know where he keeps the piggy bank!" Zoey yells.

"Shouldn't we all know where the piggy bank is - it is our money afterall!" Nitro shouts back.

 _"FIVE MINUTES LEFT!_ " Ryan shouts over the panicking Miis.

 _"OH NOOOOO!"_ KittyMetal begins to run around in circles, which causes the bill to fly up into the air.

"Great Sage Koko, surely you have a magic spell that'll get rid of the tab!" Junko panicks as well. "Please, you've got to use it! Even if they do find the piggy bank, I don't think we even have 1900G! We've wasted so much of it on clothes and upgrades!"

"If I had that capability, I would have done it long before it ended up like this..." I say as calmly as I can, doing my best to remain neutral as I watch KittyMeal run around. Zoey has rushed off to Quick Man's room to get the piggy bank.

 _"TWO MINUTES LEFT!"_ Ryan shouts as if we're all not standing right in front of him.

"AHHHHH!" KittyMetal grabs his ears in panic.

By this point, I've retired to the couch, tired of looking at this mess. At this rate, we're going to be stuck suffering the consoquences of what happens when Ryan doesn't get his money...and even I don't know what that is...

"The piggy bank is here!" Zoey shouts, the piggy bank in hand. "Let's see how much we have..."

With the help of Zero, she pops oen the back of the piggy bak (I'm glad someone didn't take a hammer to it, because that would be a livid mess...) and proceeds to dump the contents of the bank out.

...But no gold comes out, only a dust bunny.

 _Oh Good StarArc, save our souls..._

"Is this an acceptable payment?" KittyMetal asks, holding up the dust bunny.

"No." Ryan's voice clearly sounds annoyed.

"Come onnnnn, nya!" KittyMetal continues. 'It's a cute little dust bunny!"

I yelp as Ryan's entire demenor changes, him charging up to KittyMetal, aiming a sword at his chest.

 _"THAT DUST BUNNY WON'T COVER THE EXPENSES CAUSED BY ALL OF YOU GUYS! IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY, THEN WHY DID YOU THINK YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH STAYING?!"_

"...Um...we thought that you would give us your kind hospitality...?" KittyMetal says, backing up into the wall.

"Besides, it's not like earning gold is our only priority..." Zero adds "We were...you know, fighting the Dark Lord...?"

"Please, Ryan...forgive them." I try and loosen the tension. "Quick Man probably took the money we had with him, and since he's the Darker Lord now..."

Ryan has at least gotten enough sense back to sheathe his sword, but he's not calmed down much. He's pretty livid with us, and I can definately tell.

"That says nothing for my expenses!" he yells. "I have a clogged toilet, a messy kitchen and a broken elevator and you guys have no way of paying?!"

He falls silent a moment, closing his eyes in though before looking at us.

"I have the perfect solution." he continues after a second. "I'm going to take you to the Traveler's Hub. You can work there and earn back every cent you owe me! With intrest!"

"...Traveler...Hub?" Zoey blinks in confusion.

"It's basically what the name says." I state. 'Travelers from all over Miitopia gather there when they need help, and hope that some helpful Mii will come and hear their requests. They'll pay whoever finishes their tasks of course."

"...And that's why you all are going!" Ryan nearly interrupts. "You'll go there, talk to the travellers, maybe learn about where that Darker Lord went, and earn my money! So everyone will win!"

"Yay! Everyone wins!" KittyMetal jumps uo and down.

"I wouldn't get too excited though." I tell him. "The travelers are...a bit dense to say the least. If it doesn't concern their direct social circle, they probably know next to nothing about it. So...it's pretty likely that if any know where the Darker Lord is, it'll take awhile to find that one guy or gal.:

"Regardless, I get my money." Ryan says. "However, I'm going to have to make some arrangements to get you there, since you have to go by air. You'll have to spend the night again so I can get it all arranged. Consider the expenses added to your tab!"

With that, we all head out to make our own preparations for tomorrow. The bill rolls on the ground and falls through the heating vent by the door...


	4. Ch 3: A Turning Point

**Chapter Three: A Turning Point**

The next morning is a bit of a blur to me. What I can recall is the sound of the alarm clock going off sometime before 6AM, followed by Nitro yelling that I had better get up or else I'm being left behind. I don't remember much of my response, only the fact that is was rather uncharacteristic of me, as I remember pulling out my staff and yelling at Nitro to let me do my morning business or I would burn him.

The next thing I know, we are all seated in the lobby with our things packed up. Ryan walks in from outside, the door slamming behind him,

"The plane's ready to go, and anything that you tear up will be added to your tab, just so you know." he tells us. "I had to make arrangements with a friend for the thing to be brought here, so if you bang it all up, that's more money he's going to charge me. So...DON'T TEAR IT UP!:

"We're not gonna tear it up - just make sure that Amy has chains on and nothing will happen!" Nitro shouts, clearly still not over something from two days ago. Amy, however, doesn't bother to say anything, just rolling her eyes.

"I don't care what you do, I just don't want to have any more expenses because of you guys - if it wasn't the only way I'd be able to get the money you owe me, I wouldn't even bother doing this." Ryan tells us. "You guys have ten minutes to get on the plane, so chop chop!"

Without anything else spoken, we rise from our seats or positions in the lobby and file out the door.

"Yay! We're going to ride a plane, nya!" KittyMetal says excitedly. "I'm so excited!"

"I've never been on one before, let alone knew they were for anyone except for high class people!" Zoey replies as she closes the inn door. "I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun!"

I decide not to add anything to the conversation. I don't have much to say about planes. I've been in one multiple times, and none of those experiences were what I call pleasant. The first time was for a vacation at an island named Goldenrod. It was a small island and its entire population lived in one apartment. I thought that it wasn't going to be a bad ride, but the ride was with 99 other Miis. Needless to say, it was very rowdy. No one sat in their seats, people kept throwing rubber ducks across the aisles as if they were the new dodge balls, food was constantly being ordered and either the trash or the food itself ended up smeared on the windows or on the floor. Heck, one of the Miis decided that it was appropriate to bring their dog onto the plane and let it run free across the aisles, barking and drooling. It was the worst five hours of my life... And the most recent time I rode on a plane, going to the Galapagos Island just for a cruise, we never actually got there because the passengers were being so rowdy that the pilot just dropped everyone out in Neksdor - Prince Hoops wasn't pleased about it either. Neither was his mother, for that matter.

The plane already smells like dirty feet and no one has even sat down yet. I silently take a seat by myself as the others get on. Ryan is standing up front.

"Alright, since I'm being forced to drive this thing - I make the rules!" he starts speaking as soon as Zero, the last Mii to get on, takes his seat with Junko. "No food! No drink! No screaming! No loud laughter! No smearing up the seats! And before you ask, there's no plane service, so...just sit there and be quiet! Listen to music, sleep, I don't care what you do, just don't be rowdy and don't cause me any more expenses! 100G gets added to the tab every time that bathroom in the back gets clogged as well. And if it gets clogged while I'm driving - no one gets to go til we get there because I'm not pulling over to fix it! Any concerns!?"

"But-"

"Good!" Ryan interrupts KittyMetal, going to the front room to begin piloting us.

"Well, that was...something." I say after a few minutes of silence. I notice we are starting to head out, as I see the clouds in the window getting closer and closer.

"No food? No drink?! That's not even fair!" Cookie yells. "He's said that for a day now! When are we going to be allowed to have food and drink?!"

"When we beat more monsters that give us food." Zero says flatly. "Don't you know that's how it works around here?"

"Well, if Amy didn't ruin the Goblin Ham, maybe we'd have been allowed to cook!" Nitro yells.

"Nitro, I didn't do it!" Amy snaps. "If you wanna blame someone, blame yourself! You were who argued with me anyway!"

"I didn't even put the stuff in the microwave for 400 minutes! So you can just shut up!" Nitro yells, getting up. "We'd be a lot happier if you would!"

"You should shut up!" Amy yells back, also standing up.

Immediately, I get up, forcing myself between them before they can yell further and possibly cause is to be booted off the plane before we even take off (well, maybe we won't be booted, since if we get booted, Ryan doesn't get his money, but he will certainly yell at us).

"Both of you, stop this now!" I shout. "Sit in your seats, relax...we can go and get food at the Traveler's Hub! StarArc knows there's a good plenty of food stands for us to go to, and a lot of them are free since even the marketers know that half the travelers who come to the Hub don't have much to their name!"

"Oh, nice going, Amy, now you have the sage yelling at us!" Nitro begins to clap his hands sarcastically.

"You're the one who keeps yelling!" Amy continues, tightening her grip on her mic, as if she's doing everything she can to not toss it across the plane and into Nitro's head.

 _"ENOUGH_!" I finally lose control, slamming both Miis, as hard as I can, into their seats. Luckily we're all seated by ourselves except for Zero and Junko. Both of them hit the windows by their seats, staring at me with wide eyes. "Sit in your chairs and don't say another word! I for one am tired of hearing you two bicker about something we can't change! Focus on the matter at hand - and that's trying to find Quick Man! We're not getting a single fart of anything done by sitting here bickering!"

"Ha ha, 'fart of anything done'!" KittyMetal just has to throw something in. However, I'm not tolerating it.

"Not the time KittyMetal!" I shout at him, making him fall silent too.

Every Mii is staring at me with wide eyes, astonished that I, the Great Sage, had pushed two Miis across the plane like this. It seems as if they know that they were getting too rowdy...

"I'm very disappointed in you guys." I find myself continuing/ "We're supposed to be trying to find Darker Lord Quick Man, and all I've seen for the two days I've spent with you is bickering, cruddy attitudes, and just sad excuses for Miis who are supposed to save this land. Why did StarArc pick you? Surely not to act like this! If so then, he's asking for this world to end, and I don't think any Guardian Spirit would do that!"

 _Great Sage Koko is correct. I did not pick you to fight amongst each other. You are all powerful and wise heroes. However, you haven't presented that at all, sitting here and bickering like little children! All of you should be embarrassed! If Quick Man saw this, I'm sure he would be very disappointed!_ StarArc tells us.

"...You're right, both of you..." Zero says after a moment. "I should know. I was Quick Man's first partner. If he saw how much mess we've made these past two days, he would be disappointed in us. He wouldn't want the friendships we've made to go down the drain just because he isn't here..."

"I agree, nya. We've made huge embarrassments of ourselves..." KittyMetal says.

Even Nitro sighs, nodding. "Right...we all are supposed to be divine heroes. Quick Man would be chewing us out for behaving like this." he says. "But...still. I can't stand Amy. She's-"

"...your friend and your ally." I interrupt him before he can start the arguing again. "You all are friends and allies, being chosen by StarArc for this quest. That should be your focus. Not some Goblin Ham being burned or the inn being trashed because of everyone's sad attempts to cook. This quest is more serious than that, and when you're sitting here bickering all it does it hinder progress."

"It does." junko agrees, nodding. "So please, stop this, Nitro. If you and Amy prefer not to talk to each other, limit your communication then. But don't disrupt the whole quest. We'll never save Quick Man if this goes on!"

"Fine. I'll do a better job at keeping a hold of myself." Nitro says as he sits up. "I'm sorry for being a jerk, Amy. From now on if I have an issue, I won't yell about it. I'll discuss it calmly or keep it to myself, for the sake of the mission."

"I will do the same." Amy says, also sitting up. The two don't face each other, but I can tell their words are sincere nonetheless. "I won't yell at you either. We have to get along if we're going to finish this."

"Good. We have an understanding then." I tell them as I return to my seat. "Now let's head to the Traveler's Hub and get more intel about where Quick Man might be."

Nods from all, as the plane ride continues in silence.

* * *

The Traveler's Hub was never my favorite spot to be. While I enjoy helping out the unfortunate Miis who gather there, I also am not a fan of the "Hub" part of the place. Since travelers are there almost constantly, merchants have decided to set up shops there, the paperboys hand out daily papers, and there are even some travelers who have moved in. The place is like a hectic village of its own, as hectic as it is.

"Alright everyone, up and at em!" Ryan yells as he opens the door to the plane. "Get to doing those favors and earning my money! I'll be here when you're needing the plane again!"

Nodding, we file out into the hub, where we are immediately greeted by the Guide. He's a Mii by the name of Steve, and he's lived at this little village for a long time. He knows everything about it, all of its good and bad sides, and all of the little shortcuts.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" he greets us, seeing me before anyone else. "I didn't think that you would be leading a group, Koko. Last I knew, you were one of those fellas who preferred to be alone!"

Steve is one of the few who doesn't address me by my title. To be honest, I prefer it that way. Every time someone refers to me by my title, heat always rushes to my face, tinting my cheeks a rosy red. In fact, there's been times that the feeling's been so bad that I tell them to not do it anymore. It honestly feels nice to walk in here and have Steve give me a casual greeting. It's not often I get it around here.

"Well, things happened." I put it simply. I never disclose all the details of anything to Steve. Like any other traveler here, he's a gossip, and news spreads around pretty fast here at the Traveler's Hub. If you tell one person your story, it'll be out to a hundred people within the hour. Before you know it, if it's a grand enough story, someone has warped it completely out of proportion, to the point it's little more than some fantasy out of a children's book. "For now, I have to lead these guys. By any chance did you see anyone called the Darker Lord here?"

"Oh...him. That blasted monster's new body, huh?" Steve crosses his arms. "I caught a glimpse of him some time ago, but I don't know where he went. I'm sure someone here might know where the fellow's gone though, so why don't you ask around?"

Just as I was expecting. Steve sees and hears everything here, but similarly to me, he doesn't tend to make it his business. He's a silent observer most of the time...except when he's told news, of course.

"Well, alright. Thanks." I state as we head on past the gates.

"Wow! Something smells really good!" KittyMetal says immediately. "Like someone just baked a fresh pizza! Can we go get that pizza, Great Sage Koko?! Please?"

"...No, KittyMetal." I tell him. We can't be wasting time straying off to a pizza stand. Besides, chances are that's not one of those free stands, so we have no way of even paying for it anyway.

"But it smells so good! I want to at least have a look!" Cookie chimes in. "And we might get some intel too!"

True. Even if we don't get a chance to get any food, we might get a quest or intel from the shopkeeper. Finally giving in, I nod.

"Alright then - we're going to go, but don't count on getting anything." I tell them. "We might get some intel on our quest if we're lucky enough."

"Well at least I'll have seen the pizza!" KittyMetal giggles. "Let's go then!"

He jets off, the group of us following alone...


End file.
